2

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................. 5

What Are Chords? .................................................................................................... 7

Intro to Drop Chord Shapes.................................................................................... 20

Chapter 1: First Steps .............................................................................................. 28

The ii-V-I-VI Progression .......................................................................................... 28

The iim7 Chord ......................................................................................................... 29

The V7 Chord ............................................................................................................ 37

The Imaj7 Chord ....................................................................................................... 48

The VI7b9 Chord ....................................................................................................... 65

ii-V-I-VI Progression Drop 3 Chords..................................................................... 72

ii-V-I-VI Progression Drop 2 Chords..................................................................... 76

Chapter 1 Goal Review Questions.......................................................................... 78

Chapter 2: ii-V-I-VI Comping Patterns ................................................................. 80

Freddie Green Comping .......................................................................................... 80

The Charleston Rhythm ........................................................................................... 86

Comping Rhythm - Bass Plus Top 3 Notes ............................................................ 97

Chapter 2 Goals Review........................................................................................... 116

Chapter 3: Minor ii-V-I-bIII Overview ..................................................................... 119

The iim7b5 Chord..................................................................................................... 122

The V7b9 Chord ........................................................................................................ 126

Minor ii-V Progression ............................................................................................. 127

The Im6 Chord .......................................................................................................... 133

Minor ii-V-I Progression ........................................................................................... 136

The bIIImaj7 Chord .................................................................................................. 149

 3
Minor ii-V-I-bIII Progression .................................................................................... 156

Chapter 3 Goals Review........................................................................................... 169

Chapter 4: Autumn Leaves Studies ........................................................................ 172

Autumn Leaves Section Breakdown ................................................................... 172

Autumn Leaves The A Section ............................................................................. 174

Autumn Leaves The B Section ............................................................................. 176

Autumn Leaves The C Section ............................................................................. 178

Autumn Leaves Section Summary ...................................................................... 179

Rhythmic Comping for Autumn Leaves................................................................. 180

Autumn Leaves Drop 3 Chords -- Position 1 ...................................................... 184

Autumn Leaves Drop 2 Chords -- Position 1 ...................................................... 187

Autumn Leaves Drop 3 Chords - Position 2 ....................................................... 190

Autumn Leaves - Drop 2 Chords Position 2 ....................................................... 193

Chapter 4 Goals Review........................................................................................... 196

Chapter 5: Turnarounds .......................................................................................... 198

Turnarounds in Position 1....................................................................................... 199

Turnarounds in Position 2....................................................................................... 204

Minor Turnarounds Position 1 ............................................................................... 208

Minor Turnarounds Position 2 ............................................................................... 213

Chapter 5 Goals Review........................................................................................... 218

Chapter 6: Rhythm Changes Studies ..................................................................... 221

Rhythm Changes Section Breakdown................................................................. 222

Rhythmic Comping for Rhythm Changes .............................................................. 230

Chapter 6 Goals Review........................................................................................... 251

Chapter 7: Must-Know Chord Shapes .................................................................... 253

Practice Example Exercises ..................................................................................... 253

Maj7 Chord Shapes .................................................................................................. 259

 4
Maj7#11 Chord Shapes ........................................................................................... 261

Maj7#5 Chord Shapes ............................................................................................. 263

Maj9 Chord Shapes .................................................................................................. 265

Maj6 Chord Shapes .................................................................................................. 267

Maj6/9 Chord Shapes .............................................................................................. 269

7th Chord Shapes..................................................................................................... 271

7#11 Chord Shapes.................................................................................................. 273

7alt Chord Shapes .................................................................................................... 275

9th Chord Shapes..................................................................................................... 277

13th Chord Shapes .................................................................................................. 279

m7 Chord Shapes ..................................................................................................... 281

m9 Chord Shapes ..................................................................................................... 283

m6 Chord Shapes ..................................................................................................... 285

m11 Chord Shapes................................................................................................... 287

mMaj7 Chord Shapes .............................................................................................. 289

m7b5 Chord Shapes ................................................................................................ 291

Dim7 Chord Shapes ................................................................................................. 293

Appendix ................................................................................................................... 296

Chapter 1 Review Answers...................................................................................... 296

Chapter 2 Review Answers...................................................................................... 308

Chapter 3 Review Answers...................................................................................... 318

Chapter 4 Review Answers...................................................................................... 323

Chapter 5 Review Answers...................................................................................... 324

Chapter 6 Review Answers...................................................................................... 325

About the Authors ................................................................................................... 326

Terence Wright ......................................................................................................... 326

Matt Warnock ........................................................................................................... 328

 19

The Im6 Chord

The m6 chord is a completely new chord quality to add to your chord vocabulary.

The m6 chord is featured extensively in the jazz repertoire, and is commonly used as a
substitution for the m7 chord.

The difference between a m6 and m7 chord is a single note. The m6 chord utilizes a 6th
above the root whereas the m7 chord has a b7th above the root.

The intervallic structure of the m6 chord: Rb356

The chart below analyzes the note composition of a number of different m6 chords to
help you get a feel for the m6 intervallic structure.

Moving on, its time to take a look at the chord shapes for the m6 chord. Using Gm6
as an example, youll play through Drop 3 and Drop 2 voicings on both the 6th and 5th
string.
 20
The first voicings of the Gm6 chord that youll play are the Drop 3 voicings. Play through
and memorize each Drop 3 Gm6 chord shape below.

Audio Example 81

Click here to play audio example 81

A Gm6 in any voicing always has the same intervallic structure of R b3 5 6, but the
order of the individual notes in each voicing can appear in different orders (eg. R 5 6
b3).

For a Drop 3 Gm6 chord, the notes of the chord are distributed in the following order:

Knowing the distribution of notes within each chord voicing you play will not only
strengthen your overall knowledge of the fretboard, but will also provide you with a
solid foundation for pursuing advanced jazz concepts such as voice leading and chord
soloing.
 21
Complete your m6 chord vocabulary by playing through and memorizing the Drop 2
shapes of the Gm6 chord below. After completing the Drop 3 and 2 voicings of the Gm6,
youll be ready to dig into complete minor ii-V-I progressions.

Audio Example 82

Click here to play audio example 82

The notes in the Drop 2 voicing are arranged differently than the those in the Drop 3
voicing. Compare the chart below to the previous Drop 3 Gm6 chart to allow yourself to
see the difference between the two voicings.
 22

Exercise: Continue to develop your ears by comparing and contrasting the sound
of similar chords. Alternate between m6 and m7 chords to hear the subtle yet key
difference in sound. Play through the exercises below and be sure to listen carefully.

6th string Drop 3 Gm7 to 6th string Drop 3 Gm6.

5th string Drop 3 Gm7 Drop 3 to 5th string Drop 3 Gm6.
5th string Drop 2 Gm7 Drop 2 to 5th string Drop 2 Gm6.
4th string Drop 2 Gm7 Drop 2 to 4th string Drop 2 Gm6.

Minor ii-V-I Progression

Its time now to take all three chords from this chapter and begin playing complete
minor ii-V-I progressions.

To help you review positions 1 and 2, the list below provides an overview of both
positions and indicates the chords youre currently focusing on using italics.

The list also shows which strings youll need to build your chords from in both positions
1 and 2.

Use the Am7b5, D7b9, and Gm6 to play through complete minor ii-V-I progression in
both positions using Drop 3 and Drop 2 chords.
 23
Position 1 Minor ii-V-I Progression

Drop 3 Chords

iim7b5 Root on the 6th string.

V7b9 Root on the 6th string.
Im6 Root on the 6th string.
bIIImaj7 Root on the 6th string.

Audio Example 83

Click here to play audio example 83

 24
Drop 2 Chords

iim7b5 Root on the 5th string.

V7b9 Root on the 5th string.
Im6 Root on the 5th string.
bIIImaj7 Root on the 5th string.

Audio Example 84

Click here to play audio example 84

 25
When playing through the minor ii-V-I progression, dont forget to continue saying and
playing the tensions or note names of each note in every chord you play.

Itll be easier to identify the chord tensions with the 7b9 and maj7 chords because youve
played both of those chord qualities before, but make sure you take your time with new
m6 and m7b5 chord qualities.

This PDF contains samples of our ebook The Easy Guide to Jazz Guitar Chords, to get
the full edition of the ebook, click here...